NFL GJCXI Miami Archive
CANADA CHAMPIONS AGAIN - 
Canada won the NFL Global Junior Championship title for a third successive year with a dominant 23-13 victory over a Team USA featuring student athletes from South Florida counties Broward and Miami-Dade.
Quarterback Bruno Prud’Homme (below) ran and threw for a touchdown as Canada responded to a first quarter Jason Frierson (Coral Gables High School) touchdown catch from a Derek Rifenbury (Monarch) pass by scoring 17 unanswered points. The second year signal caller scored on a 14-yard run to take a 10-7 lead after a 23-yard Dan Village field goal, then hit Ismael Bamba with a 30-yard pass in the third quarter.
Two more Village field goals from 34 and 37 yards put Canda in an unassailable 23-7 lead, which was only dented when Rifenbury found tight end Michael Hellman (Everglades) from 9 yards out.
Click here for full game recaps. Click here for the All-Tournament team.
“It was an outstanding victory for us,” said Canada head coach Glen Constantin. “It was really important for us that we contained them and we did that. Coming to South Florida where the great college prospects are we knew it would be tough so we are very happy to have won.”
Team USA head coach Mark Guandolo admitted: “We have no excuses. Canada was the better team today. We knew it was going to be a tough game. It’s a great experience to work with kids that we never usually get a chance to work with and I thought the team came together well and played their hearts out.”
Earlier in the day Mexico won the battle for third place with a 25-17 win over Japan having trailed 14-0 in the first quarter to a Satoshi Kawahara touchdown catch and a Shinnosuke Kamo interception return for a score. Running back Alexis Magallanes scored twice on the ground, Alfonso Espinosa went in from 9 yards, out and a safety and two field goals completed the comeback.
Panama took fifth place with its first victory in five attempts having also played in the competition in 2000. A 40-yard Cesar Tucker interception return for a touchdown negated Jeremy Rabot’s 91-yard scoring kickoff return, then Kenrick Belgrave saw off France with a run from a yard out.
Eleven offensive stars, eleven defensive standouts, including Canada's Ameet Pall (right), and two specialists were named to the NFL Global Junior Championship XI All-Tournament team, joining the individual team MVPs on the roll of honor... more
NFL Defensive Player of the Year Jason Taylor will perform the coin toss before the final of the NFL Global Junior Championship XI at Lockhart Stadium at 3pm on Saturday, February 3. Also watching the teams of high school standouts from six countries and three continents compete on the gridiron will be former Dallas Cowboys and University of Florida running back Emmitt Smith...more
Team USA beat Mexico 16-0 to secure a place in the NFL Global Junior Championship final on Saturday against Canada. Both teams finished the day with a 2-0 record and did not concede a point against all opponents. Read recaps of all games here.
The best young football players from six nations and three continents will kick off the NFL Global Junior Championship at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, January 31 as part of the Super Bowl XLI celebrations... more
For the second consecutive year football fans can listen live to every minute of every game played at the NFL Global Junior Championship XI at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale during the week of Super Bowl XLI. EZStream.com, through its partnership with the annual Super Bowl event, will provide the official webcast for all games played on Wednesday, January 31 and Saturday February 3 between Canada, France, Japan, Mexico, Panama and the USA. The EZStream broadcast follows a successful 2006 production from the Silverdome in Detroit when the games were broadcast live to a worldwide audience... more
Team Rosters
Team USA Football is in its second week of practice for the NFL Global Junior Championship XI with head coach Mark Guandolo confident that his 40-man roster of Broward and Miami-Dade county seniors is making progress. The student athletes who will face international teams representing Canada, France, Japan, Mexico and Panama during Super Bowl week have been practicing at Florida International University... more 
Rising R&B pop star Giorgi and the Miramar High School Soldier Band From Patriot Land will entertain the crowd at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale at the NFL Global Junior Championship on Saturday, February 3. Miami-based Giorgi (right) will sing the National Anthem ahead of the Championship Game at 3pm then the renowned Miramar High School band will perform a spectacular halftime routine... more
Team USA Football kicked off preparations for the NFL Global Junior Championship XI this week with the first of nine practices at Florida International University (South). The 40-man roster selected from student athlete seniors from Miami-Dade and Broward counties will face international teams representing Canada, France, Japan, Mexico and Panama on Wednesday, January 31 and Saturday, February 3 at Lockhart Stadium as part of the Super Bowl XLI festivities... more
Head coach Mark Guandolo has added four more players to the Team USA Football roster that will represent the United States at the NFL Global Junior Championship XI at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on January 31 and February 3. Coach Guandolo’s latest selections were broadcast live on The Dolphins Show – High School Gridiron Report on 790 The Ticket with Dolphins play by play announcer Jimmy Cefalo and fellow hosts Larry Bluestein and Sean Alveshire. Canada, France, Japan, Mexico and Panama also revealed their rosters... more
Cuarenta jugadores de escuelas secundarias de los condados de Miami Dade y Broward, representarán a los Estados Unidos bajo la consigna Equipo de Fútbol USA (Team USA Football), en el onceavo campeonato mundial de jóvenes de la NFL durante la semana del Super Bowl. El evento, que se encuentra en su onceavo año, se llevará a cabo durante las festividades que se celebran alrededor del XLI Super Bowl, en el estadio Lockhart de Fort Laudardale, los días miércoles, 31 de enero y sábado, 3 de febrero... continua
Team USA Football Head Coach Mark Guandolo has selected the majority of his roster from Broward and Miami-Dade counties for the NFL Global Junior Championship XI to be played at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on January 31 and February 3. Coach joined visitors to www.NFL-GJC.com live from his office at Chaminade-Madonna Preparatory School in Hollywood, FL, to reveal 34 of his selections... more
Head Coach Mark Guandolo (below left) will announce the 40-man Team USA Football roster to compete at the NFL Global Junior Championship XI on Tuesday, December 19. The names of the Broward and Miami-Dade County high school standouts who will match up against international teams from Canada, Japan, France, Mexico and Panama will be revealed live on www.NFL-GJC.com at 9am... more
Offensive lineman Frank Davis (above) hopes to become the first graduate of the NFL Global Junior Championship and the first Panamanian to start in the National Football League when the Detroit Lions play the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday at 1pm. Davis was raised in Panama where he first stepped onto the gridiron before playing football at the University of South Florida. In 2000 he represented Panama in his country’s first appearance at the NFL Global Junior Championship during the week of Super Bowl XXXIV in Atlanta and came to the attention of college scouts having not played high school football.... more
Head coach Mark Guandolo has named his Team USA Football coaching staff for the NFL Global Junior Championship XI. The Chaminade-Madonna Preparatory School coach has enlisted the expertise of six high school coaches from both Broward and Miami-Dade Counties. Meanwhile, Japan has named former Amsterdam Admirals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shinzo Yamada as head coach... more
USA Defensive Coordinator Marcello Rodriguez and Japan Head Coach Shinzo Yamada
Three players and two coaches from Chaminade-Madonna Preparatory School, who will represent the United States at the NFL Global Junior Championship XI, were introduced to the crowd at Dolphin Stadium before the Miami Dolphins defeated the New England Patriots on Sunday. Head coach Mark Guandolo was joined on the field by defensive coordinator Marcello Rodriguez, linemen Ryan Goldman and Emeka Nwankwo and defensive back Eian Smith as guests of the Dolphins.... more
The first three student athletes to be selected to the Team USA roster for the NFL Global Junior Championship XI will be presented to the crowd at Dolphin Stadium on Sunday, December 10, before the Miami Dolphins take on the New England Patriots... more
Team Canada football head coach Glen Constantin has announced his staff for the NFL Global Junior Championship. Four of the nine assistants named by Constantin are head coaches at Canadian universities. There are four offensive coaches, four defensive coaches and one special teams coach... more
L’entraîneur en chef d’Équipe Canada, Glen Constantin, a procédé au choix de ses adjoints en vue de former l’équipe canadienne qui défendra son titre au 11e Championnat mondial junior de la NFL à la fin du mois de janvier, en Floride. Quatre des neuf adjoints sélectionnés par Constantin occupent actuellement un poste d’entraîneur en chef au sein du Sport interuniversitaire canadien (SIC)... suite
Team Canada football will hold a Quebec selection this weekend to evaluate the province’s top 19 and under players. Approximately 50 players from this camp will be selected to attend a national selection camp that will determine the Canadian team for the NFL Global Junior Championship XI... more
Sous le regard attentif du nouvel entraîneur en chef d’Équipe Canada, Glen Constantin, une quarantaine d’entraîneurs et plus de 200 des meilleurs joueurs de football de 19 ans et moins participeront en fin de semaine au camp de sélection... suite
Boston College wide receiver Kevin Challenger was a member of Team Canada at the NFL Global Junior Championship VI in 2002. The Canadians narrowly lost 16-14 to a New Orleans all-star Team USA during the week of Super Bowl XXXVI. Challenger, a junior, leads Boston College this year with 43 receptions for 488 yards and 5 touchdowns. The 9-2 Eagles play at Miami to conclude the ACC regular season on Thanksgiving Thursday at 7.30pm ET. Read about Challenger's memories of the GJC here...
Photo courtesy Vanier College Athletics
Team Canada Football has announced that Glen Constantin – currently head coach of the CIS Laval Rouge et Or – will lead the Canadians at the 2007 NFL Global Junior Championship in Florida. Constantin replaces Danny Maciocia, who guided Canada to a second straight title last year... more
Miami Dolphins veteran defensive standout Jason Taylor will serve as Honorary Chairman for the NFL Global Junior Championship XI during the build up to Super Bowl XLI. Among his duties as Honorary Chairman, Taylor will perform the coin toss at the Championship Game on February 3, attend a practice of the Team USA Football roster of Broward and Dade County high school student athletes and speak at the event’s welcome banquet. More...
Team Canada running back Matt Henry, one of the stars of the NFL Global Junior Championship X in Detroit, is now making his mark in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport league. Henry, who is one of two players to progress from the NFL Flag Football World Championship to the GJC, is starring for the Manitoba Bisons. More...
Forty players from high schools in Broward and Miami-Dade counties will be selected to represent the United States as Team USA Football at the NFL Global Junior Championship XI in January. The event is in its eleventh year and will be played as part of the Super Bowl XLI festivities. Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale will become the first venue to host the NFL Global Junior Championship for a second time, since initially hosting the international teams in 1999... more
NFL GLOBAL JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP XI SCHEDULE
Sunday, January 28
Teams arrive and live with families from local high schools
Monday, January 29 and Tuesday, January 30
Teams practice at local high schools (click for directions):
Canada 9am-11am at Cardinal Gibbons High School
France 9.30am-11.30am at Pine Crest School
Japan 9.30am-11.30am at North Broward Prep
Mexico 8.30am-10.30am at Western High School
Panama 9.30am-11.30am at University School
USA 4.15pm-6pm at Chaminade Madonna Preparatory School
Tuesday only for Team USA
Monday, January 29
NFL GJCXI Press Conference and Welcome Banquet
Fort Lauderdale War Memorial Auditorium
Wednesday January 31
First Round Games, Lockhart Stadium
National Conference 
Canada, Japan, France
American Conference
USA, Mexico, Panama
12pm Japan vs. France
1.45pm France vs. Canada
3.30pm Canada vs. Japan
5.30pm Mexico vs. Panama
7.15pm Panama vs. USA
9.00pm USA vs. Mexico
First Round games consist of two, 10-minute halves each. No overtime. There will be a 20-minute break between games within the conference. Standings from the First Round will determine the seeding for the Medal Round games. Standings Tie Breakers are as follows:
i. Head-to-Head results
ii. Total points given up in all games
iii. Total touchdowns given up in all games
iv. Total point differential in all games, with a maximum of 14 per game
v. Team that gave up the first score latest in their first game, or if not scored upon in the first game, then in the second game.
Thursday, February 1 and Friday, February 2
Teams practice at local high schools (click for directions):
Canada 9.30am-11.30am at Cardinal Gibbons High School
France 10am-11.30am at Pine Crest School
Japan 10am-11.30am at North Broward Prep
Mexico 8.30am-10.30am at Western High School
Panama 9.30am-11.30am at University School
USA 4.15pm-6pm at Chaminade Madonna Preparatory School
Saturday, February 3
Medal Round Games
8.30am France vs. Panama
11.30am Japans vs. Mexico
3.00pm Championship Game Canada vs. USA
The Medal Round games will all consist of four, 12-minute quarters. NCAA overtime rules apply in Medal Round games only.
NFL GLOBAL JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP XI RULES
Player Eligibility:
1. There is a maximum of 40 players per team.
2. All players must be 19 years or under as of December 31, 2006.
3. All players must be citizens of the country/countries they represent in the event, the proof of which will be a valid passport which must be presented at the event, or in the case of Team USA players, a valid driver’s license/government photo ID.
4. Only three players from any regular season team may be on the field at any given time.
5. A maximum of four (4) players from any regular season team may be on the GJC roster for Canada, and six (6) from any regular season team for Europe, Mexico, Panama and Japan.
6. USA may have only three (3) players from any given high school team on its roster. Also, all USA players must have a cumulative 2.5 grade point average at the end of their junior year to be eligible.
Note: The actual selection of the players is the responsibility and right of the governing federation or team management, with the understanding that these athletes will be representing their nation(s) during a high profile Super Bowl event. Great care must be taken to select and bring athletes who will uphold the standards of the event, the NFL, and their own country.
Team Staff:
1. Each team may have a maximum of twelve (12) staff who will be given full rights during all elements of the GJC. Only those official team staff members will be permitted on the sidelines with the team during games, and will be provided “all-access” credentials. Exception: A medical doctor may also be permitted on the sidelines, and not be an official staff member.
2. One head coach must be appointed no later than September 1, 2006.
3. Among the staff there must be included a medical trainer who will work with the event medical director and event doctor to care for any injured or sick team member. However, it is understood that in all cases of injury the event doctor and event medical coordinator will have final determination as to the treatment to be undertaken during the event.
Game Rules:
The games will be played under NCAA guidelines with the exceptions of the following specific rules referred to as the RULES OF PLAY. It is the responsibility of each head coach to insure that his assistant coaches and players understand and follow these rules.
We will again have coach/officials in the press box to help monitor the play on the field. The spotters upstairs will maintain constant radio contact with the field and will be encouraged to be aggressive in their pursuit of violations of the rules of play.
OFFENSE
1. Only 1 and 2 back sets are legal. There shall be no empty sets or 3 back sets.
2. The QB may line up under center or in shotgun formation, but the snap must go directly to the quarterback.
3. There shall be no motion or shifting of ANY offensive player prior to the snap.
4. 2 TE's are only permitted in goal line- 5 yard line and in; and short yardage-any down with one yard or less to go.
5. No wingbacks permitted-a back aligned outside the tackle/tight end box must be at least 5 yards outside the offensive tackle/tight end.
6. No split of an offense lineman may be more than three feet from the next offensive lineman, except for the tight end, who may be split up to 2 yards.
7. There shall be no unbalanced lines.
DEFENSE
1. Only the 4‑3 defense is legal.
2. Any defensive alignment is permitted in goal line and short yardage (see Offense Rule #4), except if it violates Defense Rule #3.
3. There is no covering or shading of the OC in all situations, including short yardage and goal line. However, the MLB may cover or shade the OC in short yardage and goal line, if he stays in a “stand-up” position. If he covers the OC and thus is within the heels of the DL, he must rush, as in Defense #6.
4. No more than 3 defenders can rush the QB from one side of the OC, with only one LB coming per side.
5. No defensive player (LB’s, DE’s or DB’s) may come from outside the tackle‑tight end box, or from “air”, in any situation.
6. If a LB lines up at the heels of the defensive linemen or closer to the LOS, and is within the tackle-to-tackle box, he must rush on a pass play. (If he is over the TE, he may or may not rush).
7. No secondary or zone blitzing is allowed.
8. No moving or stemming of any defensive personnel is allowed prior to the snap, including secondary.
SPECIAL TEAMS
1. No unbalanced formations or swinging gate allowed in field goal, extra point or punt situations.
2. No covering or contacting of the center is allowed on the LOS in field goal, extra point or punt situations.
3. On punt, field goal and PAT returns/blocks only 3 men can align on the LOS (on either side of the ball). Only those aligned on the LOS, a maximum of 6, can rush the kick..
4. Place kicks may be placed on a 1" kicking tee
TIMEOUTS
Each team will be allowed three time outs per game during the First Round games.
Each team will be allowed three time outs per half during the Medal Rounds and Championship Game
VIOLATIONS
1. In any given game, any team is in violation of the “Rules of Play” they will receive normal 15 yard penalty. All violations may be accepted or declined
Directions
Directions to Team USA practices at Florida International University
From Florida Turnpike:
Take Homestead Extension South
Take SW 8th Street Exit 25 and merge onto SW 8th Street /Tamiami Trl/FL-90 E towards Miami
Turn right onto Snapper Creek Road
Turn left onto SW 17th Street
Turn right onto SW 115 Ave
Turn left onto SW 17th Street to 11310 SW 17th Street, Miami, FL 33199
Directions to Press Conference and Welcome Banquet
(invited guests and media only)
Fort Lauderdale War Memorial Auditorium
From Miami / south:
I 95 to Broward Boulevard
East to US1
Left/North on US1
8 blocks to NE 8th St / Ninninger Dr
Turn right
From Palm Beach / north:
I 95 South to Sunrise Boulevard
East to US1 South
Right/South on US1
2 blocks to NE 8th St / Ninninger Dr
Turn left
Directions to Lockhart Stadium for NFL Global Junior Championship XI:
Leave I-95 North or South at Commercial Blvd exit
Head west on Commercial Blvd / NW 50th Street
Turn right on NW 12th Avenue
Stadium is two blocks on the left
Click here for drections to team practice
sites at local schools:
Cardinal Gibbons (Canada)
Pine Crest (France)
University School (Panama)
Western High (Mexico),
North Broward Prep (Japan)